woensdag 27 november 2013

27th November 2013, The Dead Sea and Jerusalem, Gerrit van Zwol

27th November 2013, The Dead Sea and Jerusalem, Gerrit van Zwol

The day started in the Florentine hostel, located in the
beautiful modern city of Tel Aviv. The Florentine hostel is situated close to the old
city of Jaffa, a really charming and wonderful district with a lot of small
markets, shops and nice places for a break. As it was located near the beach,
we had already taken a quick dip in the sea the day before. The agenda was to
head to the Dead Sea and thereafter to explore the city of Jerusalem. The journey
was nice and easy and it felt we were drifting peacefully in the Dead Sea just
a few moments after our departure.

The Lonely Planet was our main guide during the journey and
provided us with some interesting facts on the journey towards the Dead Sea. Did
you for example know no bird can cross the Dead Sea because the air and the
chemicals over the Dead Sea are making it impossible for birds to fly? In the
old years of the Egyptians and the Persians, they made thankfully use of this
fact to flee from mosquitoes and other insects and birds. Today the Dead Sea is
shared by Israel, Jordan and the Palestine Territories. In the past the Dead
Sea was a perfect hiding and refuge place for King David, King Herod, Jesus and
John the Baptist. Another reason why you should go to this place, is because it is the
lowest place on the face of the earth, at an astonishing 425m below sea level.
The water is coral blue and the many minerals and mud are an excellent way to
stop you from looking older.

After some more relaxation in the Dead Sea, it was time to head
for our main target of the day, Jerusalem!Once this city was in our sight, everyone was looking out of the window of
our private taxi to catch a glimpse of this special and spiritual attractive
city. First we checked-in in probable one of the most gorgeous youth hostels of
Jerusalem. The first two floors were excavated out of rock, resulting in a
wonderful ambiance and nice cosy places for a chat. We quickly dropped our
baggage, because we wanted to see as much as possible of Jerusalem with our
tight schedule. First we went down
towards the holy sepulchre church, which is seen as the centre of Christianity
because Jesus maybe was crucified there.
However other people say this place was outside the city centre, located on the
North of Jerusalem. In the church we listened to Catholics singing their songs
and burning candles. Most of us have been in a church before, but this was a special
experience. After the church we did a small walk around the city wall to see
the Mount of Olives. This Mount is located on the North-East of Jerusalem and
is covered with many white stone graves. Most of us felt a mystic feeling by
seeing this mountain and all the graves. We entered the city again trough the Lions
gate and followed the via doloroza, the road Jesus walked with a cross towards
his crucifixion. Today most of this road are characterized by markets and shops
on both side of the street. But in the evening when all these shops were closed
and the streets were still, this gave a special feeling by walking this road by
night.

The highlight of the
evening was the wailing wall. Man and woman were separated at the entrance by
security. We were not aware today was also the celebration of the first day of the
Chanoeka, where the Jews celebrated their victory to the Greeks 2000 years ago.
The light the first of the seven candles of the menorah. This reminds them of
the wonder during the fight against the Greeks, the menorah burned for eight
days. This was a wonder because there was only oil for one day. Back to the
wailing wail. Ivar and my where the first that dared walking towards the wall,
after being clothed appropriately by wearing a yameka. The wall was full with
all kind and sizes of letters, most likely prayer of the Jews that cry out for
the temple to be rebuild. We were amazed by the intense prayer attitude of the
Jews. On each side of the wailing wall a small bibliotheca was located, with
all kind of Hebrew books, probable filled with hymns and words from the Old
Testament. But nobody of us could read Hebrew, so we will never know;)

After this really learning full day, it was time to drink a
beer of some wine at the hostel and enjoy the warm breeze together with other
travels from all over the world at the wonderful balcony of the hostel. We
talked with some Americans who where studying in Jordan and visited Jerusalem
for a short break in their study. We all enjoyed seeing this wonderful city and
were highly determined to use the next morning to see much more of this special
city. We can recommend everybody to come to Jerusalem and explore this city! It
is modern, cosy, religious and the source of a lot of religions. Come and see.